Metropolis: 10 Things The Superman Prequel Must Include

7. References To The Golden Age

With Gotham having a tendency to get carried away, mostly on account of its determination to cram every Bat-villain from A-Z, Metropolis needs to have a think about the approach it'll take to world-building.

One option, and it's one we've seen debut to acclaim in Black Lightning, would be to root the show in a linear timeline. Avoid Supes altogether, certainly, but remember that the book didn't begin with Clark Kent. In classic DC continuity, the Justice Society of America were the first real superhero team around, with characters like Doctor Fate, Jay Garrick's Flash and Ted Grant's Wildcat dominating headlines as the world's precursor to the Justice League.

Not only does this make the world feel lived in, but less contrived as well. Contextualising Lois' misadventures in a world already known for super-drama makes sense, but having everything bubble up out of thin-air would, like Gotham, feel a little forced, if not entirely cynical altogether.

Make the world feel storied, and Metropolis will be able to get away with ten times the stuff Gotham has.